After 60 years of india's independence the lives of commoners is far worse than under britishers. The benefits of independence has reached only few , thus creating islands of few ultra rich people surrounded by vast sea of utterly poor. The rich people in nexus with those in power , are getting favourable laws enacted to suit their ends. Those in power are shamelessly enjoying 5-star luxuries all at tax payer's expense , while more then 50 million are starving to death.

The criminalization of politics , executive & judiciary is almost complete. The corruption has spread it's tentacles far & wide , there is corruption from womb to tomb ,from maternity hospital to grave yard. The injustices meated out , the atrocities perpetrated by by public servants are worse than britishers.

Ideally in a democracy, the legal recourse of grievance redressal / justice , when a commoner suffers injustice he can appeal to respective government official or police for justice , still if doesn't get justice he can appeal to court of law , further the aggrieved can get the appropriate law enacted through his M.P / M.L.A. The sad part in India is no public servant is neither aware of the value of our hard won independence or the working of democracy.

When all the legal recourses to justice fail to respond , to provide justice to the aggrieved , when corrupt judges-police-politician-public servants act as a criminal nexus & block justice delivery, the commoner has only 2 options , either to suffer in silence or to take law into his own hands & get justice on his own.

Take for instance Bombay riots case several VVIPs – cabinet ministers , police were found to be guilty of torture , murders of innocents by justice sri Krishna enquiry commission. The government is sitting over enquiry commission report. The court is not taking suo-motto action in public interests a result , the guilty ministers & police who are fit cases for death sentences are roaming free & commiting more crimes , anti-national activities.

In some cases , involving the rich &mighty ,higher police officials , the cover-up begins right from start ie FIR Registration. Police conduct name sake enquiry , investigation, suppress evidences , witnesses , destroy some of them , the prosecution takes a favourable stand putting up weak arguments. Naturally, the guilty official , minister is acquitted by court for lack of evidences. So, the guilty who should have been rightfully put behind bars , hanged goes scot-free , to commit more crimes , more anti-national activities.

In such cases , if the suffering public give the legal punishment to the guilty , which should have been given by the court but failed. Are not such acts of public, to uphold law & dignity , national security right & patriotic ? if any body terms it as crime , that means guilty VVIPs , police , public servants should be left unpunished allowing them to commit more crimes , anti-national activities. Is that right from national security angle ? is it equality before law & equitable justice ?

In this back drop , in India anarchy is not far away. The days of suffering public ,killing their tormentors corrupt police , corrupt judges , corrupt tax officials ,etc is not far away. No police security , no SPG cover can protect those corrupt , as police & SPG personnel work for pay , perks and will be on the wrong side of law – protecting criminals. The suffering public fighting for their survival , on the right side of natural justice , protecting the nation.

If the authorities term this act as illegal , crime then are the acts of corrupt public servants legal ? is the cover-up of such corrupt acts by police , vigilance officials & some judges by mis quoting /misinterpreting , misusing law is right , legal ? the GOI has created , funded , supported , given training , arms & ammunition to various terrorist outfits like LTTE , MUKTHI BAHINI ,MQM in foreign countries , resulting in destruction , mass murders of innocents there . In india itself in assam , Kashmir , the GOI has created counter terrorist outfits to reduce the reach of terrorist groups. The bihar , jharkhand , chattisgarh state governments have created armed gangs SALWA JUDUM to counter naxal outfits , are all these acts of government right , legal ? the days of dogs death for corrupt is quite nearby. it is high time , to the corrupt to reform , repent themselves.

In our own experience, HRW didn't get justice from authorities in many cases of injustices brought before it , most shameful fact even supreme court of India failed to register PILs , even shameful supreme court of India even failed to give information as per RTI Act , utterly shameful supreme court of India failed to protect the fundamental rights of editor of HRW & obstructed him from performing his fundamental duties. Still, HRW believes in peace , democratic practices. HRW firmly believes that violence should not be practiced by anybody – neither state nor public.

Many public servants are leading luxurious lifestyles , beyond the legal sources of their income. Many public servants are filing false affidavits about their annual income , wealth details to Election Commission of India / Vigilance Commission / other authorities , as the case may be. These authorities are not properly verifying these affidavits . many scams , scandals are coming to light day in & day out , politicians are accussing each other of involvement in scams. Whereas , the said authorities are keeping mum , as if those affidavits filed by tainted public servants are true.

The tainted public servants are not even providing full , right information to public as per RTI Act, lest the truth come out. Just imagine , even the supreme court of India violated RTI Act – failed to give information to our publication as per RTI Act , lest the truth – skeletons in judiciary comes out.

Some public servants , caught redhanded during luxurious spending , easily says that it is at their political paty's expense or their well wisher's expense. However no entries are found in the account books of said parties to that respect. The law forbids public servants from accepting gifts , hospitality , favours beyond the value of rupees one hundred ( Rs. 100 ) , as it may be a form of bribe.

Hereby , HRW urges the honourable supreme court of India , to enforce RTI Act , annual filing of affidavits by public servants , fool-proof verification of those affidavits by public committees comprising ordinary citizens as mandatory encompassing all public offices. As a first step , it must be enforced to judges , police personnel & tax officials . then alone , many socio-economic problems , corruption in India can be solved.

In the democratic india , whenever a citizen suffers from injustice , violation of constitutionally guaranteed fundamental rights / human rights he can appeal to the higher Authorities for justice , then to the next higher authority in the hierarchy . if it fails he can approach the police , courts of justice. Finally he can appeal to the first citizen of the country & supreme court of india . Now , corruption is more prevalent in police & judiciary. To my numerous appeals for justice , HRW's appeals for justice concerning public good , the public servants have failed to perform , the police have taken biased action & finally H.E.PRESIDENT OF INDIA , HONOURABLE
CHIEF JUSTICE OF INDIA are mum. They have failed to perform their constitutional duties. All the doors of justice are closed for me.
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH has brought to the notice of government cases of rights violations , crimes , tax evasions by public servants & corporate bodies , it also offerred it's services in apprehending corporate criminals stealing crores of tax money. there was no response . the police & authorities are keen , over zealous in apprehending & prosecuting a pick-pcketer stealing Rs.10 , where as it cover-ups the crimes of corporate criminals stealing lakhs , crores of tax money. the government even rewards such corporate criminals with tax exemptions , subsidies , etc. Is it equitable justice ? true democracy of mahatma's vision ? This type of corrupt administration in india since independence has made the lives of commoners miserable and is the main driving force for the rise of NAXALISM , TERRORISM / SEPARATIST MOVEMENTS & UNDER WORLD. However violence is not the solution, violence breeds more violence & mahatma's democracy true swaraj cann't be set up on the basis of violence. When all the doors of justice are closed for a commonman ( sufferer of gross injustices ) without financial might or contacts , he has the following options :
1. to take law into his own hands & settle scores. But it is illegal although naturally justified .
2. to suffer more & more injustices reconciling to the fact , ground reality that democracy in india is fake only a facade.
3. To committ suicide to runaway from all injustices. But that is illegal & cowardice.
4. To spread awareness among public about corruption in police , judiciary , public service & to kindle the light of crusade in them within legal democratic frame work although presently sufferring from gross injustices. All in the hope that tommorrow will be bright & sunny , with the dawn of mahatma gandhi's swaraj.
Your excellency & your honourable sir , kindly tell me – tell the common people which way to take & answer the show-cause notice.

In india democracy is a farce , freedom a mirage. the most basic freedom RIGHT TO INFORMATION & EXPRESSION , is not honoured by the government,as the information opens up the crimes of V.V.I.Ps & leads to their ill-gotten wealth. The public servants are least bothered about the lives of people or justice to them. these type of fat cats , parasites are a drain on the public exchequer . these people want ,wish me to see dead , wish to see HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH closed . so that, a voice against injustices is silenced forever , the crimes of V.V.I.Ps closed , buried forever.
To my numerous appeals , HRW's appeals to you ,you have not yet replied.it clearly shows that you are least bothered about the lives of people or justice to them .it proves that you are hell bent to protect the criminals at any cost. you are just pressurising the police to enquire me ,to take my statement, to repeatedly call me to police station all with a view to silence me.all of you enjoy "legal immunity privileges" ,why don't you have given powers to the police / investigating officer to summon all of you for enquiry ?or else why don't all of you are not appearing before the police voluntarily for enquiry ?at the least why don't all of you are not sending your statement about the case to the police either through legal counsel or through post? you are aiding criminals ,by denying me job oppurtunities in R.B.I CURRENCY NOTE PRESS mysore , city civil court ,bangalore , distict court , mysore ,etc & by illegally closing my newspaper.
there is a gross, total mismatch between your actions and your oath of office. this amounts to public cheating & moral turpitude on your part.
1.you are making contempt of the very august office you hold.
2.you are making contempt of the constitution of india.
3.you are making contempt of citizens of india.
4.you are sponsoring & aiding terorrism & organized crime.
5.you are violating the fundamental & human rights of the citizens of india and of neighbouring countries.
6.you are violating & making contempt of the U.N HUMAN RIGHTS CHARTER to which india is a signatory.
7.you are obstructing me from performing my fundamental duties as a citizen of india.
Both of you are hereby called upon to SHOW-CAUSE within 30 days , why you cann't be legally prosecuted for the above mentioned crimes . in future , with regard to this case if i am called to police station or court , etc, the loss of my wages & the related expenses must be borne by the government. Meanwhile , if anything untoward happens to me or to my dependents, both of you will be directly held responsible along with the perpatrators of crime and you are liable to pay rupees twenty lakhs as compensation to the survivors of my family.if none of my dependents survive,donate rupees twenty lakhs to the mother theresa's MISSIONARIES OF CHARITY TRUST,kolkata.india.

Honor of Indian Parliament for sale by few members of the house

it is a shame that recently four members of parliament were caught red handed on charges of human trafficking that too misusing their official passports. We have seen in the past various crimes by M.Ps - questions for money , kickbacks , etc. this present sorry state of affairs is due to the caste consciousness of the electorate. The public instead of seeing the honesty , integrity of electoral candidates looks just at his caste , in this trend they elect persons who belongs to their caste even though he is dishonest , untrustworthy & a criminal . Now , the number of criminals , density of criminals ( who are masterminds in evading conviction ) is more in elected houses of people's representatives – parliament , state assemblies , panchayaths , corporations , etc than in the jails , outside public society . HRW is ready to prove this subject to conditions , in larger public interest. Our people's representatives must learn classroom discipline , punctuality of attendance , home work , from little kids of primary school.

We have won the independence by the hard way , by the innumerable sacrifices made by great martyrs like mahatma Gandhi , Nehru , bhagath singh , etc. The criminals who have occupied constitutional positions don't have any right to squander that hard won independence of Indians. The disgrace , contempt to august house of people's representatives is brought upon itself by the corrupt people's representatives themselves.

We at HRW , have highest regards for the institution of parliament , this is an appeal to the honest few in the parliament to bring to book their corrupt colleagues & to uphold the dignity of the house .

WAKE-UP ELECTION COMMISSION OF INDIA

Former chief election commissioner , mr.T.N.sheshan brought respect to ECI by doing his duties sincerely against all pressures . he didn't have any special powers , whatever laws were there since 1950 ie our constitution of India came into being , he used it in letter & spirit efficiently and upholded the sanctity of elections. You can just imagine what his predecessors & successors were & are doing ?

Recently , in the media we have seen reports that a 3 time member of parliament & main fund contributor of a national political party - Mr. M.S.SUBBA is a foreigner , a nepali citizen . how can a foreigner become a law maker of India ? we have seen media reports of MPs & MLAs , cabinet ministers who are wanted by police in serious crimes but absconders , not available to arrest as per police records . but they are very much present in the government & running the show ? what a mockery of law ? recently , we have seen reports where certain MPs extracted money to raise questions in parliament , to sanction money under MPLAD scheme , we have seen media reports about union communications minister mr.pramod mahajan receiving reliance company shares to the tune of crores in return for favourable ruling to that company . In various ways people's representatives misuse their office for personal gains.

While joining government service in India , from peon's job to gazetted officer's rank police inquiry / confidential reporting about the candidate's antecedents is mandatory. In case of sensitive departments like space , atomic energy , defence , etc, apart from police enquiry concurrent investigation is conducted by Intelligence Bureau , before appointing a candidate to any rank in government service whether as peon or as officer. Whereas , in the case of the people's representatives who get elected as MPs , MLAs , MLCs , etc, no investigation is conducted about their antecedents , the affidavits they file before ECI at the time of nomination ( eventhough full of lies ) is taken at it's face value. The ECI doesn't bother to sincerely cross-check those affidavits . in 2004 general elections , our publication requested for deatails about antecedents of 4 VVIP candidates , the ECI replied that they don't have information about them. In this way , ELECTION COMMISSION OF INDIA is favouring the criminals to get elected as MPs , MLAs and eventually to become cabinet ministers. When a criminal becomes a law maker , the first thing he does is to cover-up his own crimes & that of his cronies. In the second step he permits officials to indulge in criminal deeds for a cut in the deal. He formulates laws which are favourable to his rich cronies , based on those inherently flawed criminal intentioned biased laws the courts of justice judges over cases before it. Can a common man hope for justice , what a shame ?

The same criminals who are in constitutional offices become privy to very sensitive informations with respect to national security , economy , etc , it is the same criminals who decide over the national policy matters relating to defence , economy , national security , etc , don't that criminals sell our national security to our enemies for a price ? are we truly safe under such leaders ?

Hereby , we urge the election commission of India to give information as per RTI ACT with respect to following :

1. how many convicted persons , absconders as per police records are there in present loksabha , rajya sabha & all state legislatures as members of the house ?

2.. how many convicted persons , absconders as per police records were there in previous loksabhas , rajya sabhas & all state legislatures as members of the house since independence ?

3. how many foreigners , persons of foreign origin & persons having foreigners as their spouses are there in present loksabha , rajyasabha & all state legislatures , as members of the house ?

4. how many foreigners , persons of foreign origin & persons having foreigners as their spouses were there in previous loksabhas , rajyasabhas & all state legislatures , as members of the house since independence ?

5. give the details like the number of charges , cases against sitting MPs , MLAs throught India & against ex-MPs & ex-MLAs.

6. are you cross-checking , verifying the affidavits filed by candidates at the time of nomination for elections ? how ? is it fool-proof , then how come some criminals have entered parliament & state legislatures as members ?

7. in some instances , when MPs or MLAs are found of some wrong doings , they are just removed from the membership of the house , but no criminal prosecution against such is proceeded , why ?

bottom line : still there are are honest persons in politics , in parliament & in state legislatures striving for public welfare & upholding the law. Our publication pays our whole hearted respects to those honest few . However , criminalization of politics is an acknowledged fact by vohra committee report , acknowledged by cabinet ministers themselves & this is an appeal to the honest few MPs , MLAs to book their corrupt colleagues.

India has become an IT power , taken giant strides in the field of science & technology. More & more MNCs are investing in India. However due to our skewed , corrupt economic system , lack of accountability on the part of corporates & public servants – a wide chasm has been created between the ultra rich & the poor , the fruits of development has all been usurped by the rich & mighty. This is the basic reason for growth of black economy , growth of naxalism , terrorism & underworld in India. As per a recent study by UN organization , majority of Indians ie more than 50 crore Indians are barely sustaining on Rs.13 per day earnings , a whole family depends upon Rs.13 , they are struggling to get just single meal per day. People are starving to death , farmers are committing suicides , people are selling their own children for a bag of grains. Whereas , corporate biggies , public servants are leading luxurious lifestyles , having big parties full of drinks , non-veg foods not at their papaa's expense but at the expense of public exchequer , out of the tax dues , loan repayments cheated to the public exchequer.

The banks insist on matching collateral security even for self employment / educational loans by poor for an amount of Rs.5000. if the loans are not paid in time , rowdies / recovery agents are sent by banks to collect the amount by muscle power. As a final step , banks auction-off properties of collateral security to recover it's dues. Even, the tax authorities mercilessly extract tax dues to the last penny from the middle class.

The same banks, overestimate the project cost of corporates , overestimate the project feasibility & it's worth and coolly extend hundreds of crores of rupees loans without matching collateral security. The banks extend overdraft facilities without matching collateral securities , to these corporates. When loans are not repaid, no rowdies are sent by banks. The promoters , directors of such tainted corporates drain – off the companies resources cunningly through insider trading , finally making the company sick. Such companies don't pay taxes , electricity bills , water bills , etc properly to respective authorities. The authorities are deaf , dumb & blind to all these actions of such corporates. At the end , banks write-off such loans as non performing assets (NPA) & file case before courts for recovery of dues. Even if the properties of collateral security are auctioned-off dues cann't be fully realized. Finally public money is swindled . ALL THIS IS POSSIBLE DUE TO THE CONNIVANCE OF KEY BANK OFFICIALS , TAX OFFICIALS WITH CRIMINAL CORPORATES SINCE THE INCEPTION OF SUCH COMPANIES . THIS ALSO POSES UNFAIR COMPETITION TO HONEST CORPORATES. How to stop this ? by making corporate accountability ,accountability of bank , tax officials more stringent with penal provisions . afterall , they are playing with public money not their papa's property.

Already , by the connivance of public servants , bank , tax officials we have witnessed many scams like harshad Mehta , ketan parekh , hawala , etc and more than Rs. 2000000 crore NPAs are on the books of the banks. Now, the government of India is planning to waive-off tax arrears of corporates to the tune of Rs.85000 crore , why ? read vijaya Karnataka kannada daily dated 04th January 2007. just look at this in the backdrop of "QUESTIONS FOR MONEY BY SOME MPs" and "MP LOCAL AREA DEVELOPMENT FUND ALLOCATION FOR A PRICE SCANDAL". The government is always unresponsive , careless towards the sufferings of poor , however it is always on toes to help out corporates that too criminal ones but not honest corporates. Why ?

1. to make necessary amendments to companies act , to make the promoters , directors of the corporates personally accountable for all their actions.

2. to constitute committees consisting of public persons with powers to scrutinize & verify all the actions of corporates for insider trading like – selling products , materials , shares to their sister concerns at discounted prices or buying products , materials , shares from their sister concerns at inflated prices or lending loans at discount rates to their sister concerns or taking loans from their sister concerns at high rate of interest or loaning materials , machines to their sister concerns , etc.

3. to constitute committees consisting of public persons , to scrutinize & verify the annual personal tax returns filed by key bank officials & tax officials , who have amassed riches & leading luxurious life styles much beyond the scope of their legal known sources of income.

4. to recover all tax dues , loan dues , etc from the corporates from the personal properties , wealth of promoters , directors of such companies.

5. to put behind bar the key bank officials who have helped the corporates in swindling public money by overestimating project viability , worth and by overlooking the insider trading of promoters and still extending loans to them.

6. to put behind bars tax officials who have helped such corporates in swindling public money.

7. to take all the necessary help from public like as services extended by HRW in apprehending tax thieves.

them , he is silenced through the brute force of police. Even election

commission of india , didn't give information about criminal

antecedents of certain VVIP candidates tom an indian citizen on

request. The courts have suo motto powers to take action on news

reports , but they have not taken any even on appeal. The police don't

take action against such VVIPs & are not even registering complaints

against them. Most public servants are only bothered about their

position , favours , post-retirement postings , etc. In their scope of

things , national security is nowhere on their mind or actions.

On the public side , the same VVIPs condemn terrorism & other foreign

countries. They deploy indian soldiers on the borders , terrorist

infected areas , to contain the mafia . they send our soldiers with

3rd class arms & ammunition , riding 3rd class aeroplanes , ships &

artillery to contain violence , as a result our soldiers get killed

like flees , like sitting ducks to be shot at, by enemies who are

armed with latest weapons. As a result more number of soldiers are

dying in plane crashes , terrorist bullets than to pakistani or

chinese bullets.

Hereby , HRW appeals to your excellency to protect our brave soldiers

, by making public the following information & providing that

information to HRW as per RTI Act on the following questions :

1. how GOI is monitoring VVIPs of foreign origin , those with spouses

of foreign origin & those with ties , links to foreign nationals ?

2. how GOI is monitoring the activities of VVIPs , while on foreign tour ?

3. how GOI is monitoring activities of ex-VVIPs ?

4. how transparent are defense contract / tender procedures ?

5. how you protect whistle blowers / defense personnel who expose

illegal defense deals ?

6. why don't the Election Commission of India fully make public the

criminal antecedents of VVIP candidates ?

7. is former union minister mr.jaswanth singh's words true ? what

action ?

8. is former union minister mr.subramaniam swamy's words true ? what

action ?

9. did GOI aid & sponsor LTTE terrorists in srilanka ?

10. did GOI pay any compensation to victim's of LTTE's terrorism ?

11. are the charges made by former admiral mr.bhagawath & rear-admiral

mr. Arun true ? what action ?

12. how many MPs , MLAs , VVIPs have links with underworld , mafia &

terrorist outfits ?

13. how many film stars , sportsmen , politicians have attended the

parties hosted by dawood ibrahim & others in gulf & else where ? what

action ?

14. are the statements made by former KGB officer mr.mitrokhin true ?

what action ?

15. how you are ensuring the safety of whistleblowers ?

god save my country , our brave soldiers from traitors in the garb of

VVIPs.

3 % OF DRUGS IN INDIAN MARKET ARE FAKE – SAYS W.H.O

The survey found that counterfeit drugs at the retail level are available to the same extent throughout the country

Bhuma Shrivastava

New Delhi: Amid mounting questions about lax regulations involving fake drugs produced in India, a national survey commissioned by the World Health Organization (WHO) has concluded that some 3% of drugs in the market are counterfeit or spurious, well below the 10% average for such fake medicines in most developing countries.

The survey, conducted by the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP), comes at a time when the government has promised to introduce a Bill in the current session of Parliament that will call for stringent punishment for those engaged in the manufacture and sale of spurious drugs.

The WHO-backed survey precedes a mammoth exercise being planned by India's drug regulator to also map the extent of this problem in the country.

The survey picked up 10,000 samples of 56 top selling drugs, as ranked by market researcher ORG IMS. Of the 3% of the sample that was counterfeit—defined as those violating patent and copyright rules by, for instance, mimicking packaging and brand names—the study estimates that just one-10th are likely to be substandard in terms of their ingredients.

The survey also found uniformity in the prevalence of counterfeit drugs at the retail level, though many within the country believe Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, New Delhi and Haryana to be the centres for manufacture and distribution of counterfeit and spurious drugs.

Drug controller general of India (DCGI) M. Venkateswarlu, who has studied the survey report, said it supports the view of the ministry of health and family welfare. "Even if we assume all the 3% they are suspecting to be counterfeit are proved so, it is still far less than the figures doing the rounds right now," he said.

The estimates have varied widely from a low of 0.5% to a high 30% of the drugs sold in the country. According to WHO, although precise and detailed data on counterfeit medicines is difficult to obtain, estimates of counterfeit prevalence range from around 1% of sales in developed countries to more than 10% in the developing world.

Some in the drug industry questioned the study. "The findings seem inaccurate," said a senior executive of a Mumbai drug firm who didn't want to be named because he hadn't personally reviewed the study. Still, "a sample size of 10,000 is too small for a country like India and checking only at the retail level (is) too restrictive", he said.

Meanwhile, FIP's vice-president in India, Prafull D. Sheth, declined to share the report or provide any details. But an industry insider familiar with the survey said some 400 retail chemists were part of the exercise, with clinical research company Apothecaries Ltd based in New Delhi, examining the samples in its laboratories.

This study, however, does not cover drug batches being exported from India or being Europe andâ€ƒdisbursed through public or private hospitals. Countries in Africa have complained that spurious drugs manufactured in India have found their way into their home markets.

DCGI, meanwhile, is awaiting the final nod from the government to undertake a countrywide survey that could investigate up to 100,000 samples focused on a lot fewer brands than the FIP study's 56.

In a recent interview with Mint, Venkateswarlu said the department is speaking to statistical organizations such as the Indian Statistical Institute to aid in this exercise. "It has to be a time bound, high-speed process. It'll not just give a reliable estimate of the extent of the counterfeit drugs, but also help (us) in undertaking consequential action," he said.

FIP is a body that represents national pharmaceutical (professional and scientific)associations, founded in The Hague in 1912.

Mercenaries of death - The cancer of fake drugs that rules the markets is disturbing - N. J. Singh

Thanks to Bhuma Srivastava for her hard work and soul-stirring article, `Fake drugs industry operates openly, Mint, 30 April, on how the mercenaries of death operate in connivance with unscrupulous elements.The cancer of fake drugs that rules the markets is disturbing. More so, since people pay their hard-earned money only to buy death and there is endless suffering for the family left behind by the deceased. Congratulations to Harinder Sikka for filing a PIL against this. People with a conscience must raise their voices in unison to support him in his push for the concerned amendment to the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.

—N. J.Singh

The problem of fake drugs has plagued our community for many years. Few crimes can be more horrendous than this one. Indirectly, this is murder in cold blood. The agony of suffering from the administration of fake drugs can only be understood by those who have been affected. Fake drugs not only take away precious lives, but also lead to the emergence of drug resistance. Unfortunately, our legal system is painfully tardy. As in other spheres, our socio-political environment has allowed the culprits to carry on with their nefarious activities with utter disregard for the law of the land. Hang a few and this menace will come to an end.

Hence, through your columns, I appeal that the law should be strengthened with more stringent and exemplary punishments, including capital punishment. I read of a PIL filed in the high court. I urge the court and Parliament to take a speedy decision on this crucial issue. Your efforts through the media must help this cause. We had a mega conference on luxury. Let us have a mega conference on fake drugs, an industry possibly larger than the luxury one. I wish you success.

—Deepak Lahoti

Your story does a commendable job in highlighting the menace posed by counterfeit drugs to humanity.

Despite being a serious health hazard, there has never been any concerted effort from all the stakeholders involved to counter this hazard. And that has continuously encouraged the culprits to profit from it.

Lack of infrastructure and manpower for the regulator, coupled with major inadequacies in the existing laws, make the problem a very complex one. There is still no clarity on the draft law pending in Parliament to expedite the legal procedure and increase punitive measures.

In the meantime, it is the general public that is suffering. Do we not have the right to quality medicines?

Who will answer this question—the the government or the pharmaceutical industry? And who will take the lead and help implement a practical solution?

With the secondary wholesaler distribution market being the weakest link in the supply chain, the industry and industry associations have to play a proactive role in containing the menace of fake drugs.

Mint, by bringing to the forefront an issue of public health, has put in a great effort.

However, it should not end here; rather, further follow-ups need be done so that the concerned take appropriate action to meet the menace.

—Jayashree Menon

This refers to the interview with Harinder S. Sikka, `Govt must take the blame if fake drugs are having a field day', Mint, 3 May. I feel three steps are required to do away with the menace of spurious and inferior quality drugs. We need to do a detailed analysis of the essential drugs. Those drugs that are required for treatment of common ailments should be sold only in generic form, though brands may be allowed here.

Vitamin formulations with odd combinations need to be banned straight away. We need to strengthen those drug manufacturers who are ready to adhere to a very high degree of quality, but cannot reach the masses.

Spurious drug manufacturers will have to be punished and punished very fast; if needed, we should set up special courts for the purpose.

—Narendra M. Apte

Govt must take blame if fake drug lords are having a field day – ENSURE QUALITY CHECKING OF MEDICINES PROCURED FOR GOVERNMENT HOSPITALS

On 30 April, Mint wrote a page one story about the proliferation of fake drugs in the heart of the nation's capital. Meanwhile, legislation, in the form of an amendment to the Drugs & Cosmetics Act, proposed back in 2005, is gathering dust in Parliament even after some of the original proposals—such as death penalty for counterfeited drugs—has been watered down. Some of the recommendations stemmed from an even earlier report from a committee headed by R.A. Mashelkar, the former director general of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research.

While Union health minister A. Ramadoss as well as other ministry officials declined to talk about the delayed legislation, the department of chemicals and petrochemicals said the amendment may be taken up by Parliament in "the coming sessions."

But enough is enough, some are saying.Harinder S. Sikka, a director at drug maker Nicholas Piramal India Ltd, has filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Delhi high court, asking the government to explain what has been happening with the Mashelkar report. Sikka, who has filed the litigation in his individual capacity, says that dealing in spurious drugs violates Article 21 of the Indian Constitution, which guarantees the fundamental right to life.

In a wide-ranging conversation with Mint's reporter, Sikka explains his motives in trying to force the issue and also offers some solutions. Edited excerpts:

What made you file a PIL on the issue of counterfeit and spurious drugs?

I have been concerned about the menace of counterfeit and spurious drugs for long. Many years ago, while writing for a newspaper (the Pioneer), I went to cover the Kargil war. It was then that I ran into the stark reality of spurious drugs. The seriously injured jawans were being administered drugs that no one had heard of. Most of the drugs being supplied there were substandard or spurious.

I have spent 13 years in the drugs industry and I have sufficient knowledge about spurious and substandard drugs. While I was in the Navy, I had the privilege of availing a Local Purchase Order (where senior officers can procure drugs from the marketplace). Why was this LPO freely given to senior officers? It was only because the government doesn't think too highly of their own procurement system.

What is amiss in the current regulatory environment and government set-up?

It is widely known that the drugs supplied through the government tender system, focuses on L1, or the lowest-priced drugs. The focus here is not on the quality or the reputation of the company. Neither is much attention paid to the question whether the firm has the infrastructure, or is following Schedule M (good quality manufacturing norms).

On paper, some of these quality checks are done but, I can assure you, some of these drug companies are operating out of their garages. But, they have the wherewithal and the paperwork in place to procure these government contracts.

Indians found guilty in UK's biggest fake drug rackets

London: Four people, including two of Indian origin, have been found guilty of masterminding a multi-million pound global racket of selling counterfeit Viagra and other drugs over the Internet after procuring them from India, Pakistan and China.

The convictions, delivered in the Kingston Crown Court Monday evening, came after what is called the biggest counterfeit drugs bust in British history. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) led the investigations.

The men were charged with masterminding the industrial-scale supply of counterfeit medicine between 2002 and 2005, involving millions of pounds worth of counterfeit Viagra, Cialis and Propecia.The medicines contained around 90 per cent of the normal active ingredient found in the authentic tablets - but regulators said customers were put in danger because of other possible ingredients.

These seizures resulted in the MHRA unravelling the biggest conspiracy of the supply of counterfeit medicines thus far in Britain. Over 1,500,000 pounds of counterfeit medicines seized were intended to be supplied to customers through this conspiracy.

MHRA sources said that in the autumn of 2002, revenue and customs officials seized counterfeit Viagra at Stansted airport. This was followed by a number of other seizures at Stansted and Heathrow airports where false descriptions like "Vitamins C and E", "Calcium for Kids" and "Samples of Mineral Supplements for Dogs" were used for a variety of products.

The counterfeit medicines were filtered for sale through licensed wholesalers to pharmacies in Britain and through Internet sites operating both in Britain and overseas. In 2004, counterfeit Cialis made its way into the regulated supply chain reaching patient level. This led to a recall of that product from the British market.

The chance interception of a packet containing 12,000 fake Viagra tablets led to the arrests. The packet was addressed to Leicester-based Gary Haywood, 58, who claimed to be working for drugs firm Pfizer. He told undercover investigators on camera that "within 6-8 weeks I will be able to supply up to a million tablets".

Haywood, along with Ashwin Patel, 24, of north London, and Zahid Mirza, 45, of Ilford, Essex, were found guilty last month of a number of counts of conspiring to sell fake medicines.

Ashish Halai, 31, of Borehamwood, Essex, described as the British "lynchpin" of the operation, had already pleaded guilty to four counts of conspiring to sell the fake drugs before the trial started almost nine months ago. He was jailed for four-and-a-half years.

The jury failed to reach verdicts on four other defendants. George Patino, a doctor from Mexico, Alpesh Patel, a pharmaceutical sales representative from Kingsbury, London, pharmacist Rajendra Shah of St. Albans, Hertfordshire, and businessman Ketan Mehta of GrovePark, London, will face a retrial next year.

The investigation traced a complex network of individuals, companies and bank accounts facilitating the movement of these medicines. Over a period of time, the men conspired together with the common purpose to profit from these counterfeits.

Mick Deats, Head of Enforcement at the MHRA said: "The MHRA treats every report of a counterfeit medicine as a serious incident. We will continue to use every power at our disposal to prosecute those engaged in this illicit activity and confiscate the proceeds of their crimes.

"This successful prosecution should serve as a clear signal to those contemplating the supply of counterfeit medicines. The public are strongly advised to avoid buying medicines online, where the risk of being provided with counterfeit medicines is greatly increased," he added.

The verdicts could only be reported on Monday after the court lifted restrictions. The MHRA is the government agency responsible for ensuring that medicines and medical devices work.

In india, & many other 3rd world countries , the larger corporations , MNCs & industry lobby is literally running the governments. They are grossly abusing human rights of people. Hereby, HRW calls upon GOI to rein in those corporations. It is not the first time that , the harmful effects of colas – food beverages are made public. The government is aiding the cola companies in covering-up their crimes , in hiding harmful ingradients of their products in the name of trade secrets. The government is yet to enact a new food legislation making it mandatory for all manufacturers of food items to specifgically
mention the type & quantity of ingradients on each food product. Even , under the present food Act itself the government officials can ban the harmful colas & other products in the interest of public health & lives. Then how will they get kickbacks ?

The cola companies are so cunning & ruthless that they have used muscle power – rowdies , corrupt police personnel & assaulted harmless peaceful protestors. The cola companies have purchased justice previously in kerala & got favourable judgement. Due to presence of cola companies , under water table has depleted in surrounding villages. The farmers are unable to grow their crops & are committing suicides. One of the senior executive of a cola company – BEJOIS , MADE MURDER THREATS , FIX-UPS IN FALSE CASES TO EDITOR OF HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH'S and even made false complaint to police , but repeatedly failed to turn-up for enquiry fearing that truth will come out. The police closed the case subsequently.

In India , many medicines / drugs manufacturing companies are silently murdering thousands of innocent patients. Some of these companies are manufacturing counterfeit drugs of popular brands. Some MNCs , big drug companies are in cheating business , they are just filling chalk powder in tablets where as on the outer cover they mention ingradients & quantities of it which are not at all their in the product. The patients who are taking these chalk powder tablets , hoping that they will get cured of diseases are dying due to lack of proper medication. These greedy , cheating drug companies are also exporting these counterfeit drugs to many third world countries like Nigeria. The drugs controller of Nigeria has caught hold of evidences about these illegal drugs & their import from India. These companies with the aid of mafia even tried to finish her off. The GOI is yet to take action on her complaint. Silence of GOI bought for a price by drug companies.

Just a few months back , there was a programme called "bad medicine" on BBC channel , where in the drugs controller for Nigeria proved that 95% of drugs in nigeria are fake & 80% of them are being exported from india. These indian fake medicines are killing hundreds of innocents in nigeria & she is crusading to control to control it. She has survived murder attempts by the pharma drugs mafia linked to india. She came over to india along with BBC correspondent & under- cover they went to greedy industrialists. The said industrialists- FAKE SPECIALISTS boasted how they fake the holograms , labels of big MNCs , how they add chalk powder , paracetamol to all tablets , how they gifted imported car to a chief minister in return for protecting their crimes fake businesses , etc. At the end, the drugs controller for india , refused to give an interview, EVEN TO MEET the BBC correspondent, fearing that all his beans will spill out. just 2 years back in karnataka, honourable lokayukta justice N.Venkatachala raided certain pharmaceutical
companies & drugs control department officials and unearthed a huge scam of Rs.200 crore of fake medicines. However the government didn't take any action as politicians were also part of the ring & threw the report on a back burner.

In india, how many are dying due to fake medicines – the corrupt officials are covering the numbers & shielding the murderers the greedy industrialists. Previously HRW has appealed to government authorities including supreme court of India , but to no avail. It is a sad pointer to the grim fact that in India there is no value for human lives & the long
arm of corruption has even reached the apex court.

COCA-COLA , PEPSI COLA & OTHER SOFT DRINK MANUFACTURERS
-Are you disclosing full information to the consumers about contents of your products ?

various soft drink manufacturers & bottled drinking water manufacturers draw their raw material- water from the tube wells . nowadays due to excessive usage of chemical fertilizers , pesticide , insecticides , the ground water table is polluted by these chemicals . these are very harmful for human beings. In some areas even the ground water is poisoned by arsenic & flouride . In addition the soft drink manufacturers use chemical flavours , food additives & preservatives in their products . these are also harmful to human beings above certain limits.

Some of the MNCs are practicing double standards , while in their home operations in the U.S.A they are strictly adhering to F.D.A norms as consumer safety is strictly enforced there by the government , while in India they have thrown to wind the consumer safety with respect to indian operations. The situation is so worse that it has been reported in the media that SOME FARMERS ARE USING THESE SOFT DRINKS AS PESTICIDES IN THEIR FARMS. Hereby, i want following questions answered by soft drink
manufacturers specifically coca-cola & pepsi,
1.how you are removing the harmful chemicals from the tube well water ie your raw material ?
2.how you are ensuring the proper mixture of food additives , preservatives & flavours within safe limits ?
3.why not you are giving the exact quantity of all contents in the soft drink of your's on the product itself ?
4. are you exactly replicating your manufacturing & quality norms of your U.S.A operations in india ? if not why ?
5.are you strictly adhering to food norms of government of india ?
6. are you keeping the F.D.A NORMS OF U.S.A as benchmark for your operations in india ?
7. are you ready for the laboratory test of your product randomly selected by the consumer ?
8. Are they using genetically modified food ingredients ?
9. are they using ingredients sourced from animal origins ?.